Iran warns regional allies U.S. bases could be hit if Washington attacks, official says

A burnt car lies on the road following unrest sparked by dire economic conditions, in a place given as Tehran, Iran, January 10, 2026, in this screengrab from Iran's state media broadcast footage. IRIB via WANA(West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

PARIS, January 13, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – A senior Iranian official said Tehran has asked U.S. allies in the region to “prevent Washington from attacking Iran” and warned that U.S. bases in countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey would be attacked if the United States targets Iran.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said direct contacts between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had been suspended.

The United States has forces across the region, including the forward headquarters of its Central Command at Al Udeid in Qatar and the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

The flow of information from inside Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout.

U.S.-based HRANA rights group said it had verified 2,403 protester deaths and 147 government-affiliated deaths so far. An Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that about 2,000 people had been killed.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he suspected “this is the most violent repression in Iran’s contemporary history and that it must absolutely stop”.

A Western official said it did not appear the Iranian government was facing imminent collapse and that its security apparatus remained in control, adding that the crackdown had restored some calm.

An Israeli government official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was briefed late on Tuesday about the chances of regime collapse or U.S. intervention. Israel fought a 12-day war against Iran last year.

Iranian state TV broadcast footage of large funeral processions for people killed in the unrest in Tehran, Isfahan and Bushehr and other cities, showing people waving flags and pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and holding signs with anti-riot slogans.

State media reported that Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s top security body, spoke to Qatar’s foreign minister, while Araqchi spoke to his Emirati and Turkish counterparts. Araqchi told UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan that “calm has prevailed” and that Iranians were determined to defend their sovereignty and security from any foreign interference, state media said.

Visiting a Tehran prison where arrested protesters are being held, Iran’s chief justice said speed in judging and penalising those “who beheaded or burned people” was critical to ensuring such events do not happen again. HRANA reported 18,137 arrests so far.

Hengaw, an Iranian Kurdish rights group, reported that a 26-year-old man, Erfan Soltani, arrested in connection with protests in Karaj, was to be executed on Wednesday. Hengaw told Reuters it had not been able to confirm whether the sentence had been carried out, and Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Asked what he meant by “help is on its way”, Trump told reporters on Tuesday they would have to figure that out, adding that he would know more after receiving a report. “The killing looks like it’s significant, but we don’t know yet for certain,” Trump said after returning to the Washington area from Detroit.

Trump on Monday announced 25% import tariffs on products from any country doing business with Iran. The U.S. State Department on Tuesday urged American citizens to leave Iran now.

Source: Reuters